FCE Practice Test 2 Michele Garcia
FCE Practice Test 2 Michele Garcia
Part 1
You are going to read an extract from a novel. For questions 1-8 choose the answer (А, В, С or D)
which you think fits best according to the text.
Miss Johnson sat in the dining room having tea and looked out at all the people on the beach.
Maybe she should go for a walk before dinner. She was just deciding in which direction she
should walk when Mr Rodgers came into the room and walked straight towards her. There was
no way she could avoid him; he had clearly seen her and she still had a cup of tea in front of her
ready to drink. ‘Do you mind if I sit down?’ he asked politely. Of course she couldn't refuse; it
wasn’t in her nature to be rude. ‘Yes, please do,’ she said and offered him some tea. He accepted
but then didn’t seem to be paying attention when she asked him if he’d like milk and sugar. In fact
he seemed very distracted. Suddenly he got up and started pacing up and down in front of the
line 9 table. This was really quite annoying as he was walking right in front of the window and getting
in the way of the nice view. ‘I’ve got a problem,’ he said, ‘and I was hoping you might be able to
help me with it.’ ‘Oh!’ she replied. She hadn’t expected him to be so familiar; they had only known
each other a few weeks and they were not really friends. ‘Well, I’ll try,’ she said. ‘I'd be happy to
help in any way I can. ‘It all started last week,’ he began. ‘I was on my way to the shops when I
bumped into Veronica Gray. We stopped and had a chat for a couple of minutes, you know about
the weather, and then just as I was making my excuses and saying goodbye her husband came
round the corner. He looked very serious and not at all happy to find us chatting together.
Veronica suddenly went very quiet and almost ran away in the opposite direction. Her husband
walked past me, barely said hello, and followed his wife round the corner. I was very confused
by the whole thing. One minute she’d been happily gossiping and then as soon as Gregory
appeared she became a different person. And he, well, for a second I thought he might hit me.’ I
didn’t see either of them again until last night, here in the hotel. I was coming down to dinner
when I heard voices on the stairs below me. I didn’t recognise who it was but as I walked round
the corner I saw it was Veronica and Gregory and they were clearly arguing. It was too late for
me turn back, they had already seen me, so I said good evening and carried on downstairs as
quickly as I could. But Gregory called me back. He was quite angry and started shouting at me;
he said I should mind my own business and leave his wife alone. Veronica was crying and tried
to tell her husband to leave me alone, that it wasn’t my fault and so on. It was very unpleasant
and I really had no idea what was going on. I said I had no idea what he was talking about and
to be honest I might have just put it down to him being a bit jealous and left it at that except that
at that moment Annabel came down the stairs and saw us. I don’t know if you know but she and
I are engaged.’ ‘Yes, I did know; congratulations.’ And of course it didn’t look good, having
Gregory more or less accuse me of having some sort of affair with his wife. Annabel just looked
at me and walked off. Now she won’t speak to me. What do you think I should do? Should I
confront Gregory and make him see sense? Or should I try and find out from Veronica what is
going on? There’s obviously something not right between them; I just don’t understand how I got
involved. I’d really appreciate any help you can give me.’ ‘Well, I think the first thing you need to
do is speak to Annabel and make sure she sees that this is just a misunderstanding.’ ‘I’ve tried
that,’ he explained, ‘but she won’t speak to me; she doesn’t answer the phone when I call her.’
He looked desperate. ‘OK,’ she said gently, ‘why don’t I go and speak to Annabel, and tell her
about this conversation we’ve just had?’ ‘Would you? Oh, thank you, I’d be so grateful.’ She left
him sitting at the table looking much happier already. And she knew just where to find Annabel.
At this time of day she was always in the garden reading.
82
TEST 4 PAPER 1: READING Part 1 (questions 1-8)
1 How did Miss Johnson react when she saw Mr Rodgers come into the dining room?
A She was pleased to see him.
В She avoided him.
С She invited him to join her.
D She was rude to him.
2 When it says in line 9 This was really quite annoying’ what does ‘this’ refer to?
A Mr Rodgers joining her for tea
В Mr Rodgers walking around
С Mr Rodgers asking her for help
D Mr Rodgers’ silence
3 How did Miss Johnson feel when Mr Rodgers asked her for help with a problem?
A surprised
В relieved
С embarrassed
D pleased
5 Whalt did Mr Rodgers want to do when he saw Gregory and Veronica arguing on the stairs?
A He wanted to find out what was going on.
В He wanted to tell Veronica to stop crying.
С He wanted to get downstairs as soon as possible.
D He wanted to go back to his room.
7 How does Mr Rodgers feel about his involvement in the situation between Veronica and
Gregory?
A happy
В confused
С angry
D grateful
Part 2
You are going to read an interview in which a woman talks about her experience of being on a reality
TV show. Seven sentences have been removed from the article. Choose from the sentences A-H the
one which fits each gap (9-15). There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.
What show did you go on and why? other people and what I thought of their food.
The TV show I went on involved holding a The other people were the biggest surprise; I
dinner party for 4 people I’d never met before. know seeing how we all get on and the different
There were 5 of us and we held a dinner party relationships that form is a big part of the show
in each of our houses on consecutive nights, so but I was still surprised by the other individuals
we had 5 dinner parties in one week. It was who had been chosen to take part. I 12 I D !
exhausting but a lot of fun. It’s a competition What shocked me was how critical everyone
where you can actually win quite a lot of money was. I’m quite a polite person and very
and there is quite a competitive atmosphere. At optimistic so I always try and find the best of a
the end of each evening you have to give a situation. The first night was a bit of disaster as
score for the evening and the person with the the host got really behind on the timing and we
highest score at the end of the week wins. I had to wait ages for the main course and then
didn’t win unfortunately but that wasn’t my only when it came out it wasn’t cooked properly. I
reason for going on it, although of course it tried to compliment her on the vegetables and
would have been nice. I 9 I G 1 I watch it the presentation and told her how wonderful the
every week and I wanted to be on it myself just starter was but the others were just saying
to see what it would be like to be on the other things like ‘I’m sorry, I really can’t eat this,’ and
side of the camera. I thought it would be fun ‘Well, it’s OK, but it isn’t that great, is it?’ The
and I knew I could do it better or at least as well poor woman was nearly in tears. Fortunately my
as most of the people I’d watched. I 10 I E 1 evening went well and although I’m sure they
For me it was much more about the food and had plenty of criticisms to make they did it
trying to impress with my cooking skills than behind my back rather than to my face so there
just getting on TV. was a much pleasanter atmosphere.
Was the experience what you expected? What did it feel like when you watched the
It was actually very different from what I had programme on TV?
expected. I hadn’t realised what it would be like It was really strange to see myself on TV but it
to have a camera crew with me while I was was fascinating seeing how they had edited
preparing everything and how much they everything and put it all together. I 13 I A 1 I
wanted to see of my house. It felt strange but watched it with a big group of friends and I kept
they were very nice and friendly and made me wanting to tell them about all the bits that had
feel comfortable. In fact they really made me been cut out. In a way the programme doesn’t
laugh while I was trying to cook and be all give a realistic portrayal of what really happened
serious. I 11 I F I I knew they would be with as they tend to choose the most shocking and
me all the day I was hosting the meal but they embarrassing parts to put in but I guess that’s
wanted to see me every other day as well and what makes good television; it has to be
ask me lots of questions on camera about the entertaining.
84
' :'' §№ы
Would you say it was a positive experience? happened and I think they liked my food and I
It was definitely good fun and yes I think it was was able to relax a bit more after my evening.
positive. I 14 I B 1 I felt under an enormous I 15 1 H 1 I always feel sorry for the people who
amount of pressure the whole week knowing that have to go first because as well as doing all the
the camera was watching my every move. The cooking you have to worry about introducing
day I had to cook I felt very nervous and everyone and you have no idea what to expect.
stressed, it’s bad enough entertaining but when Overall I came second so I didn’t win the money
you know you’re being filmed it’s a hundred but felt that was quite respectable. I feel more
times worse. But at the end of the evening I felt confident cooking for other people now and I still
a great sense of achievement. Nothing awful watch the programme and enjoy it too!
85
TEST 4 PAPER 1: READING Part3 (questions 16-30)
Part 3
You are going to read an article about four different well-known beaches. For questions 16-30 choose
from the places (A-D). The beaches may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer
is required they may be given in any order.
86
TEST 4 PAPER 1: READING Part 3 (questions 16-30)
Famous Beaches
87
TEST 4 PAPER 2: WRITING Part 1 (question 1)
Part 1
You must answer this question. Write your answer in 120-150 words in an appropriate style on the
opposite page.
1 You have seen the following advertisement in a newspaper. Your family is interested in booking
a holiday, but you would like more information.
Read the advertisement and the notes you have made for yourself. Then write to Eden Valley
Chalets, using all your notes.
EdenValley Chalets
Perfect Holidays
for families!
Our chalets have a double bedroom with en-suite
bathroom and kitchen.
Write your letter. You must use grammatically correct sentences with accurate spelling and
punctuation in a style appropriate for the situation.
88
TEST 4 PAPER 2: WRITING Part 1 (question 1)
Question 1
Gentlemen:
Michele
89
TEST 4 PAPER 2: WRITING Part 2 (questions 2-5)
Part 2
Write an answer to one of the questions 2-5 in this part. Write your answer in 120-180 words in an
appropriate style on the opposite page. Put the question number in the box at the top of the page.
2 You have been discussing families in your English lessons, and your teacher has asked you
to write about the following topic for homework:
How does growing up in a large fam ily compare with growing up in a small fam ily? What are
the advantages and disadvantages?
3 You recently stayed at the home of an English-speaking friend, Jane, in her country. Write a
letter to Jane thanking her and saying how you feel about being home and what aspects of the
visit you particularly enjoyed.
4 You have decided to enter a short story competition organised by a local newspaper. The rules
say that the story must end with the following sentence:
We put it back where we had found it and agreed never to speak about it again.
5 Answer one of the following two questions based on your reading of one of the set books.
Write the letter (a) or (b) as well as the number 5 in the question box on the opposite page.
(a) Write an essay describing how the relationship between 2 or 3 of the characters in the
book changes. Explain how and why it changes.
(b) Write a review of the book for other students of English. Say why or why not it is useful
for people learning English and say whether or not you would recommend it.
90
TEST 4 PAPER 2: WRITING Part 2 (questions 2-5)
Question 4
91
TEST 4 PAPER 3: USE OF ENGLISH Part 1 (questions 11 2)
Part 1
For questions 1-12, read the text below and decide which answer (А, В, С or D) best fits each gap.
There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example:
Climbing
The craze of extreme (0 )..........in the 1990s brought new popularity to climbing. It has also featured
in many popular films, although Hollywood does not always give an (1) B)..........
accurate
picture of what
climbing really involves. There are many different types of climbing, the most difficult and dangerous
C) spend
one being alpine climbing where climbers (2 ) ......... days or weeks at a time up mountains, often in
(3) C)...... ... conditions. This sort of climbing requires very (4) A)
freezing specific
......... equipment and is usually only
D) plenty
done by professional climbers with (5 ) ..........of experience.
C) include
However, climbing doesn't have to ( 6 ) ......... snow and ice and dangerous conditions; it can be a
A )
very (7 )..........hobby
enjoyable
and something you can do for just a few hours on a Saturday afternoon. At the
other end of the climbing spectrum from alpine climbing is sport climbing. This can be done indoors
A) fake
or outdoors on climbing walls. These walls vary from those which are completely ( 8 ) ..........and
B) naturally
which have bqen designed and built specially for the purpose to (9 )..........occurring rock formations
which have been prepared for climbing with equipment bolted in place. For beginners the easiest
B) place All you need are climbing
type of climbing is top-roping where the rope is already in (1 0 )............
A) instructor
shoes, a harness and an experienced climber or (11)..........to work the belay device and control the
C) hired
ropes. All this basic equipment can be (1 2 )..........from most sports centres.
TEST 4 PAPER 3: USE OF ENGLISH Part 1 (questions 112)
Part 2
For questions 13-24, read the text below and think of the word that best fits each gap. Use only one
word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example: [o] [7 T
Why do people travel first class? For the majority (0) .......... is because they want more space,
LIKE
complimentary food and drink and above all to be treated (13) .......... royalty. If we pay more
THAN
(1 4 )...... ... twice as much as standard class passengers we expect to receive impeccable service.
NOT
It makes sense. We are (1 5 )..........going to reach our destination any quicker so the difference can
STAY IT
only (16)..........in the comfort and service we receive, (17)........... will make our journey pleasanter.
THE
Unfortunately though it seems we are not always getting (1 8 )..........money’s worth.
BUT
Most trains and planes can guarantee more space in first class (1 9 )..........airlines and train services
THE
are sometimes unable to meet (2 0 )..........expectations of their first class passengers in terms of
complimentary refreshments and high quality service. Complimentary food and drink is often very
AS
disappointing and not quite (2 1 )..........‘unlimited’ as advertised. At least the economy traveller has
THE CAN
(2 2 )..........choice of what they buy from the trolley or buffet service. In addition staff (2 3 )........... be
far from courteous. Mr Jones summed up his last first class trip to Europe as ‘unpleasant’. However,
IF
as a regular first class traveller he acknowledges that (2 4 )..........they do get it right first class travel
*
94
1
Part 3
For questions 25-34 read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the
lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example: [o] MA A G
Las Vegas is known as the (0 )..........capital of the world because of the MARRY
ease of obtaining a marriage licence. The process can be completed
WITHIN
(25)...... ... minutes in Las Vegas while it often takes several weeks and WITH
COMPARING
involves lots of paperwork in other parts of the world. It is also (26).......... COMPARE
cheap at just $60. This and the variety of weddings available have made
DESTINATION
Las Vegas a popular (2 7 )..........among couples wanting to get married. DESTINY
UNNECESSARY
The fact that it is (2 8 )..........to plan in advance means there are also NECESSARY
plenty of spontaneous weddings in Las Vegas each year of couples on
holiday.
95
TEST 4 PAPER 3: USE OF ENGLISH Part 2 (questions 13 24)
Part 2
For questions 13-24, read the text below and think of the word that best fits each gap. Use only one
word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Example: [о] [T
Why do people travel first class? For the majority (0) .......... is because they want more space,
complimentary food and drink and above all to be treated (13) .......... royalty. If we pay more
(1 4 )...... ... twice as much as standard class passengers we expect to receive impeccable service.
It makes sense. We are (1 5 )..........going to reach our destination any quicker so the difference can
only (16)..........in the comfort and service we receive, (17)........... will make our journey pleasanter.
Unfortunately though it seems we are not always getting (1 8 )..........money's worth.
Most trains and planes can guarantee more space in first class (19)..........airlines and train services
are sometimes unable to meet (2 0 )..........expectations of their first class passengers in terms of
complimentary refreshments and high quality service. Complimentary food and drink is often very
disappointing and not quite (2 1 )..........‘unlimited’ as advertised. At least the economy traveller has
(2 2 )...... ... choice of what they buy from the trolley or buffet service. In addition staff (2 3 )..........be
far from courteous. Mr Jones summed up his last first class trip to Europe as ‘unpleasant’. However,
as a regular first class traveller he acknowledges that (2 4 )..........they do get it right first class travel
can be a truly wonderful experience.
94
1111]!
Part 3
For questions 25-34 read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the
lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Las Vegas is known as the (0 )......... capital of the world because of the MARRY
ease of obtaining a marriage licence. The process can be completed
(2 5 )..........minutes in Las Vegas while it often takes several weeks and WITH
involves lots of paperwork in other parts of the world. It is also (26).......... COMPARE
cheap at just $60. This and the variety of weddings available have made
Las Vegas a popular (2 7 )..........among couples wanting to get married. DESTINY
The fact that it is (2 8 )..........to plan in advance means there are also NECESSARY
plenty of spontaneous weddings in Las Vegas each year of couples on
holiday.
95
TEST 4 PAPER 3: USE OF ENGLISH Part 4 (questions 35 42)
Part 4
For questions 35-42, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first
sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and
five words, including the word given. Here is an example (0).
The gap can be filled by the words ‘last time I saw him’, so you write:
Write only the missing words IN CAPITAL LETTERS on the separate answer sheet.
42 Dave goes running at 7 o’clock every morning despite it still being dark at that time.
EVEN EVEN IF IT IS
Dave goes running at 7 o’clock every morning.......................................still dark at that time.
96